Greenway project hibernating for the winter

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The Beacon Falls streetscape project, under construction in this September photo, has halted for the winter. - FILE PHOTO

BEACON FALLS – The streetscape project on South Main Street is shut down for the winter, according to First Selectman Gerard Smith.

The walkway was supposed to be completed by today, but unforeseen problems slowed the project, Smith said.

He said the guard rails needed different excavation than originally planned, and there were drainage issues and some contaminated areas that halted work at various points.

Dayton Construction Company of Watertown, which is handling the project, has made the work area safe for the colder months and will finish the path in the spring, Smith said.

Smith said the Department of Transportation wouldn’t let work go on past Dec. 1.

The walkway, which will run from the Depot Street Bridge south to the intersection of Route 42 and South Main Street, is part of a bigger greenway along the Naugatuck River which will eventually connect Thomaston to Derby.

The state Department of Transportation’s original overall budget for the project was about $1.025 million, with the town picking up about $205,000 of that cost.

Once the project is complete, the two southbound lanes on South Main Street will be reduced to one lane and a pedestrian crosswalk will cover the intersection of Route 42 and South Main Street.